Man who put infant in freezer gets 16 years

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Jonathan Kaminsky, Reuters

Mar 21, 2014

, Last Updated: 10:37 PM ET

OLYMPIA - A Washington state man who prosecutors said beat his crying infant daughter and put her in a freezer for 90 minutes so he could take a nap was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison, authorities said.

Tyler Deutsch, 26, wanted to take a nap in May, but his daughter was crying, so he put her in the freezer before going to his bedroom and falling asleep, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said in a statement.

About 90 minutes later, Deutsch awoke to the baby's mother coming home and rushed to the freezer to pull out his daughter, Lindquist said. The mother, seeing Deutsch take the infant out of the freezer, called 911, he said.

The girl, who was wearing only a diaper, had a body temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 Celsius) and suffered blisters, a broken arm, a broken leg and a head injury, Lindquist said.

"Though the child has fully recovered, and we are grateful for that, this was a horrible and inexplicable crime," Lindquist said.

An attorney for Deutsch could not be reached immediately for comment. Deutsch, who is from Tacoma, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in January.